Chamber Announces Award Winners

SOUTHERN PINES, NC – The Moore County Chamber of Commerce highlighted the accomplishments of local businesses, educators and volunteers all working to Advance Commerce and Community at its Awards Celebration Friday, April 12, 2013. Over 200 people attended the gala, from one person shops to large corporations and the general public.

The highlight of the evening was the presentation of Small Buisness of the Year and Entrepreneur of the Year awards, made possible through a partnership with Muirfield Broadcasting and sponsored by Quail Haven Village.

“The Chamber is proud to showcase these winners and their contributions to the enrichment of the Moore County's business community,” stated Jeffrey Hutchins, 2013 Chairman of the Board. According to Jeff, “these companies clearly demonstrated that despite facing some adversities they would do it all over again, and whose fervor for running a business is rivaled only by their willingness to serve the community.”

The Entrepreneur of the Year award was presented to Di'lishi Frozen Yogurt Bar. Di'lishi has created an environment with a clear and precise plan on giving back to the community which supports them on a day-to-day basis. Each quarter, three different not-for-profit organizations receive a donation from Di'lishi to help with operations or special projects. The selection committee cited Di'lishi's unique model of giving back to the community and the owners' strong leadership attributes as evidence of their entrepreneurism.

The Small Business of the Year Award was presented to Green Dreams Landscape Management Inc. Green Dreams has created a technologically savvy workforce, implementing many different Apple products to track crews, hours worked, and project status on multiple properties. Combined with their customer-focused staff, these tools have resulted in a high customer satisfaction rate of 95%. When looking at Green Dreams, the selection committee cited their business plan strategies that have helped them grow to the size they are today, including continuous improvement, regular staff training, and implementing efficient systems and practices.

To qualify for the Entrepreneur Award a business had to be in existence for less than five years for the Small Business Award, five years or more were required and both had to have fewer than 50 employees. The selection committee was comprised of chamber executives from outside of Moore County. Tiffany Abby of Quail Haven Village along with Tiffany Hewitt with Muirfield Broadcasting presented the Entrepreneur and Small Business of the Year Awards.

Two additional finalists were also recognized: Village Design Group (Small Business of the Year Finalist) and Hallway Marketing (Entrepreneur Business of the Year Finalist). All the businesses that were nominated were done so by members of the Moore County Chamber of Commerce.